Resumen de Diversity and biogeographic affinities of Apionidae (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea) along an altitudinal gradient in El Cielo Biosphere Reserve of northeastern Mexico

Robert W. Jones, Santiago Niño-Maldonado, Jesús Luna Cozar

• español

  Se estudiaron las distribuciones altitudinales y temporales de especies de la familia Apionidae (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea) en la Reserva de la Biosfera El Cielo, en el norte de México. Riqueza, diversidad y abundancia fueron registrados a través de un gradiente altitudinal de 100 hasta 1 900 m. Se recolectó un total de 571 individuos de Apionidae de 51 especies. La diversidad de especies fue mayor en la selva tropical. La distribución geográfica de las especies corresponde a 3 categorías: mega-México, tropical y templada. La mayoría de las especies (55.3%) pertenecen a la categoría mega-México (sur del suroeste de los Estados Unidos hasta el norte de Nicaragua), seguido por especies con distribución tropical (27.7%) y templada (17.0%). Las especies con distribución tropical tuvieron mayor diversidad y abundancia en elevaciones bajas (selvas tropicales). En contraste, la diversidad y abundancia de las especies con distribución templada y mega-México fueron parecidas entre altitudes y tipos de vegetación. Se encontró mayor riqueza y abundancia durante la época de secas (diciembre a mayo) que en la época de lluvias, lo cual sugiere que las poblaciones de Apionidae estuvieron en etapa de inmaduros durante este último periodo, con una predominancia de adultos activos durante la época de secas, los cuales probablemente estuvieron en un estado fisiológico no-reproductivo.

• English

  The altitudinal and temporal distributions of species in the family Apionidae (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea) were studied in El Cielo Biosphere Reserve (ECBR) in the state of Tamaulipas, northeastern Mexico. Species richness, diversity and abundance were recorded along an altitudinal gradient, from 100 to 1 900 m. A total of 571 individuals of 51 species were collected, representing 30% of the total species of Apionidae recorded for Mexico. Richness estimators (Chao 2) indicated that 75% of the species present were sampled. Species richness and diversity was greatest in tropical forests. Species geographic distributions were found to fall into 3 categories: mega-Mexico, tropical and temperate. The majority of the species (55.3%) were restricted to mega-Mexico (southern southwestern US to northern Nicaragua), with fewer species with tropical (27.7%) and temperate (17.0%) distributions. Species with tropical distributions had highest diversity and greater overall abundance in low elevations in tropical forests when compared to higher elevation forests (cloud and pine/oak). In contrast, diversity and abundance for species with temperate and mega-Mexican distributions were similar in all forest types. Greater richness and abundance occurred during the dry season (December through May) than the rainy season, suggesting populations of Apionidae were in immature stages during this latter period, with active adults predominating during the dry season, many of which were probably in a non-reproductive physiological state.